Railroad-rail



(No Model.)

F. .LIGHTFOOT RAILROAD- RAIL.

Patented Feb. 26, 1884,v

nnmmmumm uw f `ITeD STATES PATENT Genion.

rRANcIs Lierrrroor, or MEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-RAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,245, dated February26, 1884.

' Application filed October 19, 1833. (No model.)

v clear, concise, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a vpart of thisspecification, in

whichlike letters indicating like parts- Figure 1 is a perspective viewof one end of i a rail, showing one form of my improved railjoint. Figs.2 and 3 are perspective views of the ends oftwo adjoining rails, showinga modification of my rail-joint. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of tworails united in my improved rail-joint. Figs. 5 and 6 are transversesectional views of rails as connected by the joint shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3, respectively.

My invention relates to that class of railway-joints which are formed byreducing the ends ofthe rails, so that the ends of two adjoining railsvpass by and lie alongside of each other, forming wh at is known as thecontinuous-tread j oint 5 and my invention consists, in general terms,inthe construction and combination of parts, all as more fullyhereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In an application, N o. 94,716, tiled May 12, 1883, I have described andclaimed the process of forming a continuous-tread rail-joint, which,generally stated, consists in swaging or pressing the ends ofthe railover to one side of the vertical longitudinal central plane of the rail,so that the head of the end of the rail is reduced one-half in width,and at the same time elongating the part pressed or swaged over. Theportion ofthe metal pressed over amounts to about sixty-six per cent.and the elongated part amounts to about thirtyl three per cent. of theend of the rail treated, though these proportions may be variedsomewhat. lVhile being thus swaged or pressed over and elongated theneck or web of the rail is made thicker than originally by the additionof metal forced therein, such added thickness being effected on the sideopposite to that on which the swaging force is applied, all as morefully described in tioned applica-tion.

the before-men- A is the body of a rail, whose end, a, is swaged orpressed aside by suitable dies to one-half the width of the rail, thusforming a notch or recess, b, in the end of the rail equal in depth toone-half the width of the rail. Into this recess tits thecorrespondiugly-shaped end of an adjoining rail. In thus forming theends of a rail, preferably about sixty-six per cent. of the metal ispressed over, and about thirty-three per cent. of the end is elongated,though these proportions may be varied within moderate limits'and a goodresult still be secured. In thus pressing over and clon gating the endsof the rails, the head,- neck, and flange of the rail are reduced insize on one side; but a considerable portion of the metal thus takenfrom these parts is forced over into the neck of the rail on the sideopposite that on which the pressing action has been effected; or a smallpart may go into the flange, and consequently the end of the rail is butvery slightly weakened. By this swaging or pressing over and elongatingthe ends of the rails the web portion ofthe ends is thickened, andthereby the loss in weight and strength consequent upon the elongationof the ends is in apart counterbalanced; but Vthe swaged and elongatedends have in cross-section a less areaof metal than the original rail.

To further strengthen. the ends ofthe rails, and also to provide meansfor locking the ends of two adjoining rails'together as against verticalmovement, the swaging-dies are so constructed as to form a projection,f, on that side of the ends of the rails on which the dies act. Thisprojection f forms, as shown, a continuation ofthe web of the rail, andprojects into the recess Ab.

To form a recess -for the reception of the projection f,the head andflange of the ends of the rail are extended beyond the web, as shown,and the metal which has been added to the web is also extended, as at c,thus forming a recess, e. When two rails are placed together, the swagedand elongated ends a it into the recesses b, and the projection f titsinto its corresponding recess, e, and there is thus formed a jointbetween the rails having a continuous and uniform tread, and the ends ofthe rails are locked together as against vertical movement.

The two rails are secured ICO laterally by bolts g, passing through theelongated slots h, as shown.

In place of forming a recess and projec tion on each rail, I may forni alongitudinal and-horizontal rib, j, on one rail, and a correspondingrecess, e', on the other rail, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 6.

In a patent, No. 262,438, granted to nie August 8, 1882, is shown ajoint in which the joint is formed by swaging or pressing aside the endsofthe rails, but Without elongating the portion so swaged, the surplusmetal being forced into the Web and ilange portions. This manner offorming the ends renders the web portion of the rail end Very thick andheavy, and leaves only a shalloxxr recess between the head and flange ofthe rail end,on the outside thereof, in which to place the nut lockingplate; but by elongating `the swaged portion somewhat ainple space isleft for the reception of the nut-locking plate, and leaves the rail endsymmetrical and shapely in outline.

I claini herein as my inventionl. Bailwayiails having their ends swagedor pressed aside, and at the saine time thick` ened in the Web andelongated, the swaged,

thickened, and elongated ends of the adjoining rails being adapted tolap by each other, and thereby forni a continuous tread equal in Widthto that of the rail, and equal. or approximately equal in strength tothe body of the rail, substantially as set forth.-

2. A- railwayg' oint consisting of two lat-erally-swaged rail endslapping onto eachother in or approximately in the Vertical central planeofthe rails, each thickened in its web, but having in cross-section aless area of metal than the original rail, substantially as set forth.

3. A railwayvrail swaged or pressed aside, and having alongitudinally-proj ectin g tongue, o, a recesso, formed by said tongueand the head and iiange of the rail, and having a projection, f, forminga continuation of the web on the recessed side of the rail, incombination with an adjoining rail having a similarlyformed end,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto' setiny hand. l

FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT.

Witnesses: p

JOHN H. DYE, Jiiiins XV. SrMMoXs.

